Jeffrey Schlupp makes instant impact to earn Crystal Palace point at Aston Villa

A Sunday afternoon time vacuum engulfed Villa Park, two managers with an eye on both present and future leaving with a point and plenty to think about. Ollie Watkins’ second-half opener was cancelled out by substitute Jeffrey Schlupp: a result just about fair.

Upward or downward mobility for both Aston Villa and Crystal Palace from here is minimal, and so these final throes of the season are a chance for Patrick Vieira and Steven Gerrard to split their gaze.

Gerrard will be enjoying the flourishing partnership between Watkins and Danny Ings. In an age where two up top is unfashionable, Villa are going retro with some success. Watkins now has six in his past dozen league outings, while the pair’s wavelengths are increasingly in tune. That Villa failed to complete a seventh home league victory will irk Gerrard, however.

Vieira will reflect on an excellent day for Eberechi Eze, who enjoyed himself operating alongside Conor Gallagher as one of two No 8s. It was his best outing since returning from the achilles injury cruelly suffered on the day he was named in England’s preliminary European Championship squad.

Before kick-off, Villa had each home supporter waving a commemorative flag marking 40 years since the club’s European Cup triumph over Bayern Munich. The current players formed a pre-match guard of honour for the heroes of Rotterdam 1982.

There was a little history for Palace, too: 500 Premier League games and counting. Not bad given their existence has been threatened several times.

The cold reality though is that Vieira and Gerrard have very little interest in backward glances. Away games requiring passports is the latter’s long-term aim. That is why Philippe Coutinho’s loan move was made permanent, a four-year